Not 'Just Echo' Anymore
by Lamea
Summary: Tired of living her life in the shadow of Zwei, Echo finds solace in someone who sees her for herself.


**Hello there, I know that this is a rather strange pairing but I hope you'll give it a chance. I think it's very cute. This isn't my first fanfiction but it is the first one I've posted online for others to read. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts or any of the characters, they belong to Jun Mochizuki.**

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Two doll-like eyes watched the room, unseen by the people gathered there. She could only observe. It was unfit for someone like her to take part in their conversation. Echo was just Echo after all. Only Zwei had the right to speak her mind to the Baskervilles, even though Echo was charged with keeping her locked away until Vincent ordered otherwise. Zwei had always been more important than Echo. She knew her place in the end, and even though she didn't like it, she could only obey.

Still, that wasn't stopping Echo from wishing for a freedom that could never be hers. Maybe it was because of Oz that she was starting to see herself more as a person instead of who she really was. It was a sweet dream that could never be true, but she couldn't stop herself from wanting it a little more each day. Echo wanted to be her own person, to be seen as herself and not just a doll that contained Zwei. There were people who just saw Echo, and she was grateful for it, but most were people she couldn't associate with. Echo was punished most severely for seeing Oz, so she was forced to avoid the only person she considered a friend.

Echo wanted someone she could speak to, someone she could confide in who wouldn't judge her. Lily would listen to her, but she wouldn't understand, and Echo was sure that Lily would tell Vincent about what she said. Echo didn't think Lily would do it on purpose, but she couldn't risk it. She also couldn't speak with Lotti. Echo was sure she would be ignored if she tried since Lotti was always too busy.

In trying to find someone to speak with, Echo had almost overlooked one person. Fang was a Baskerville, but he didn't see Zwei first and Echo second. He treated her like the others, and it was that sameness that Echo wanted. Fang always made her feel like she belonged, that she wasn't strange. Echo felt like she had found the one person she could talk to at last, but she could never get herself to actually speak with him.

Echo had tried to talk to him on many occasions, but every time she would either stand there staring and say nothing at all, or she would walk away after Fang had acknowledged her. Fang never seemed angry with Echo afterwards, instead he often seemed confused. Gradually Echo stopped trying to speak with Fang, and instead she had taken to watching him. Watching, after all, was something that Echo did well, and maybe she could avoid eventually making Fang angry with her.

Her occasional observing slowly started to turn into a constant watch. Echo knew that what she was doing was close to stalking him, but she was always careful not to take it to an extreme. Through watching Fang, Echo had begun to develop an obsession with him. She had tried to hide it, and at first it had been easy. However, like all good things it didn't last for long. Echo hadn't realized how bad things had become until Vincent of all people commented on it one day.

"Does little Echo have a crush?" Vincent had asked Echo one day. He had been surprisingly cheerful when he had asked her, but Echo had tried to lie. Even if Vincent was being kind in asking, Echo was sure that if she was honest he would become angry with her. She didn't think she'd be able to get away with lying either, but she had to try. It was hard to predict what Vincent would do sometimes, so Echo would always try to be as cautious as she could manage.

Vincent, of course, didn't believe Echo's denial, but instead of anger, he only looked surprised. Echo had begun to brace herself for her punishment, wondering what it was going to be, but it never came. "How interesting." Was what Vincent said after a long pause. "I hadn't known you could like someone that way Echo, that's wonderful." Vincent said happily, shocking Echo. She had been at a loss for words. Normally Vincent would be upset with her or disappointed in her behavior, but for once he was actually happy. It made Echo want to smile, but instead she did the only thing she could think to do, and that was to thank Vincent for his kind words.

Even if Vincent approved, Echo still couldn't bring herself to speak directly to Fang.

After being lost in her own thoughts for so long, Echo had to remind herself that she had been watching Fang and Lotti speak with one another. It brought her mind back to the room and the corner she was hiding behind. It took her back to what she had been thinking before her mind had gone off on a tangent. Echo had been trying to talk herself into speaking with Fang again.

It didn't have to be a very long conversation, Echo would be happy if they could just exchange greetings. All she had to do was walk into the room, even though she knew it wouldn't be right of her. The more she thought about what was right though, the more Echo found that she didn't much care for all the rules she had abided by for so long. So she was different from Zwei? In Echo's mind that was a good thing.

Echo was the one who had control over Zwei, so why couldn't she be more important for a change? Maybe Echo didn't have to follow the rules she didn't care for anymore. Maybe freedom was something she could actually attain. Even though they had never spoken to each other at length, Fang had helped her so much. Echo was sure that Fang had no idea just how much he had changed Echo's existence. He had shown her that she was her own person, that she didn't have to be what others thought she was.

Fang had done so much for Echo, and she knew that she would be eternally grateful. She shouldn't be afraid to speak with him now. Even if Lotti judged her, Echo wouldn't care. It couldn't hurt her.

Echo took her first step into the room, and it was the hardest one she had ever made. She then took a second step towards Fang. Each foot fall grew easier and more confident the further Echo walked towards the center of the room. She was aware of eyes on her, but they didn't seem so judgmental now. Lotti was giving Echo a look of surprise before Fang even turned around, and when his eyes moved to rest on Echo he gave her a pleasant smile. "Hello Echo." he said.

She froze again, suddenly unsure of what to do like the last time. His kindness always made her head swim a little when she was this close to him. Echo wasn't going to just stand still this time, and she wasn't just going to walk away. She had conquered her doubts and she had walked across the room, and this time she wasn't backing down. She fixed Fang with a determined look, not even noticing the surprised look she received.

"Hello." Echo greeted in return, and she was awarded with another wonderful smile.


End file.
